Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

As one expert puts it, product counsel are "Swiss army knives, who can issue, spot, and identify the different legal risks that may come" when bringing products to market. Here, we unpack the growing prevalence of such a role and what it means more broadly for in-house legal functions. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Piper Alderman executive counsel Katrina Sharman about what a product counsel is and why the role emerged in Silicon Valley, lessons from her tenure at Coinbase for Australian in-house teams and law firms, how AI is changing the role of lawyers and legal risk management, the evolution of embedded counsel and fractional GC models, and balancing innovation, speed to market and regulatory compliance in highly regulated industries. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, X and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email [email protected]

It's Cyber Security Awareness Month! In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with InfoTrack, we unpack how much the risk and compliance landscape is shifting and why having humans in the decision-making process is so essential in protecting the integrity of a law firm. Host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back InfoTrack Chief Executive Officer John Ahern to discuss the current state of affairs in cyber security and the proliferation of incidents being seen, the extent of readiness from Australian businesses, how prepared law firms are compared to other businesses, how regulation is changing the game and if it's catching up to a new world, headline vulnerabilities, increasing duties and the need for humans to remain in the loop, the nexus of human involvement to trust and verification, and urgent practical steps to be taken. To learn more about InfoTrack, click here.

True-crime podcasts and online speculation are increasingly shaping public perceptions of criminal cases before they reach trial, raising important questions about the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair hearing. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Avinash Singh, principal lawyer at Astor Legal, about the tension between open justice and trial fairness in the digital age, when media coverage and online commentary risk prejudicing potential jurors, the effectiveness of jury directions in an era of widespread digital information, the legal implications of sub judice contempt for journalists and podcasters, and the options available to courts when publicity threatens the integrity of criminal proceedings. They also discuss the imbalance between prosecution narratives and the defence in pre-trial reporting, the role and limitations of suppression and non-publication orders, whether Australia's current legal framework is equipped to address the challenges posed by true-crime content, and what reforms may be needed to protect the right to a fair trial without unduly restricting freedom of expression and open justice. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, X and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email [email protected]

For five decades, Ron Bartsch has served in cockpits, boardrooms, and courtrooms, learning what separates the dreams that come true from the dreams that don't. Here, he details how creativity is a set of learnable habits and the happiness dividend that comes from treating law as a means to live, not the reverse. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Professor Ron Bartsch AM, chairman of Avlaw and former head of safety and regulatory compliance at Qantas Airways Limited, about being his near-death experience as a young pilot and what it taught him, the similarities between how barristers and pilots think, navigating the rigidity of legal practice as a creative thinker, the habits that lawyers should employ to better utilise creative thinking, the happiness dividend that comes from treating law as a means to live, rather than the other way around, ensuring that one's dreams can come true, and the need to strive for change in one's life. Bartsch is also the author of Dream Today What You Can Achieve Tomorrow. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, X and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email [email protected]

Optimism abounds that emerging technologies like AI will improve access to justice. However, as one law professor's research has found, there is scant evidence to suggest that AI is actually helping applicants achieve desired outcomes. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Professor Alysia Blackham of Melbourne Law School about her forthcoming research paper, Artificial Intelligence and Access to Justice for Problems at Work: Enabling or Challenging Legal Pathways in the Fair Work Commission?, and its findings about the extent to which justice is currently accessible, the pressure being placed on Fair Work Commission and other jurisdictions, guidance being provided by courts and the significance of that, whether the advent of AI is aiding applicants' prospects or not, the broader implications for legal practitioners and the justice system, and how best lawyers can and should be responding in the current climate.

The development and operation of data centres in Australia will likely also see the emergence of new litigious proceedings. Here, Kennedys' regional and Australian heads unpack the disputes we are likely to see in this space in years to come. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Kennedys Asia-Pacific regional managing partner James Melvin and Australian managing partner Nicole Wearne about how the disputes that courts and tribunals will hear later this decade are being written into contracts and insurance programs signed now, where the real losses will emerge, phased handover and staged commissioning, fires and batteries, the recovery fight, professional liability, and what will constitute best practice for lawyers moving forward.

As one Melbourne-based barrister puts it, much of being a successful barrister has very little to do with what one is formally taught. Here, she unpacks the business of life at the Bar, and what those aspiring to this vocational pathway need to know. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with barrister Ashleigh Morris about the transition from lawyer to genuinely self-employed professional, why being good at the legal work is only part of building a sustainable practice, pricing, positioning and learning to value your own time, what actually drives repeat briefing relationships, the tension between traditional ideas about professional reputation and the reality that lawyers increasingly need to be visible, and the things she wishes somebody had explained to her before she started. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, X and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email [email protected]

In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with LawConnect, we reflect on what AI is changing before a client even walks through a lawyer's door. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with LawConnect chief customer officer Dane Cowley about LawConnect, what the legal profession might be overlooking with the use of AI before clients engage, the spike in self-representation, how clients are viewing their journeys and their need for legal representation. They also examine whether AI will grow legal demand rather than reduce it, the flow-on challenges for law firms, the importance of establishing value as a lawyer in an age of abundant information, and how to navigate the new era of legal journeys with the right tools and partners. To learn more about LawConnect, click here. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, X and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email [email protected]

The federal government recently flagged a new criminal offence for failing to prevent modern slavery in supply chains. Here, a BigLaw partner discusses what the proposed laws mean for businesses, boards, and legal teams, and what they say about the broader climate. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Corrs Chambers Westgarth responsible business and ESG partner Kate Gill-Herdman about why legal work in ESG and modern slavery is so interesting right now, how and why the proposed new laws have come about, the implications for relevant stakeholders, the shift from reporting obligations to criminal liability, the flagged "reasonable steps" defence, how boards, GCs, and in-house teams can respond, best practice for lawyers advising clients, and the steps that must be taken moving forward.

The recent referral of a former Melbourne-based gynaecologist to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal raises interesting questions about how seriously regulators are treating allegations of professional misconduct, the intersection or conflict between regulatory tribunal referrals and civil claims, and the role of lawyers operating in this space. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Arnold Thomas & Becker principal solicitor and head of medical negligence Emily Hart to discuss how busy it has been for medical negligence lawyers in 2026 thus far, proceedings being brought against a former gynaecologist in Melbourne for alleged professional misconduct, the complaints being lodged with Hart's firm about that individual, the difference between a regulatory tribunal referral and a civil claim, if anything prevents concurrent proceedings, whether one proceeding could or would adversely impact the other, why individual claims can be preferable to a class action, how seriously regulators are treating tribunal referrals right now, and what the implications are for medical negligence lawyers moving forward. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, X and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email [email protected]